AN: This story originates from a scenario mentioned in The Cold War by Gleena of a particularly dark possible future for Edward, as seen by Alice. Permission has been obtained from the author to expand on the aforementioned scenario. It began as a one-shot for the Mentalward Competition, and subsequently tied for the Presenter's Choice Award. Due to its success, I've chosen to continue the story. The original one-shot has been cut into two chapters, and this is Part 2

Warning: This story contains graphic references to rape.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

"How can I trust you?" she asked awhile later. "How do I know you're not just toying with me?" She had been wrestling with what I had told her, and this was the key issue; all she had to go on was my word.

"Ultimately, it's your decision. I can't offer any proof other than my word that this is what you face. You will have to make up your own mind."

She was silent while she mulled over my admission. The reality of impending death was still too much for her to accept, and she was trying to distract herself, focusing other mundane topics while ignoring the very conspicuous elephant in the room.

"What did you mean when you said you're their true purpose here?" she asked.

"Well, it's a long story," I began, "and it requires some understanding of the history and sociology of the vampire world."

I explained about the Volturi; their composition, their self imposed duty to enforce the law, and Aro's dark little secret; his obsession with collecting gifted vampires. I knew she had never heard any of this information before, but it made me feel like a cast member of a stage production after five or six weeks of performances; struggling to deliver emphasis in a story line that had been repeated ad nauseum. The only difference in her experience was that she had actually "met" Aro, if only briefly.

"With my mind reading ability, Aro decided he wanted me for the Guard. To make matters worse, he also covets the abilities of my wife, daughter and siblings. For now, I'm the only one he has, which brings us to this room."

"How do you know he only has you?" she asked, curious in spite of herself.

"Because if he had any of the others, he would use them against me, to force me to do his bidding. I live in fear that someday he will appear at this door with my wife or daughter as his hostage and make a demand. At that point, I will be undone; there is nothing I wouldn't do to protect them.

"For now, he uses every method available to crush my will. He separates me from my family, confines me to this cell, denies me the only meal my conscience will allow me, and strips me of any semblance of dignity. Then he offers me two horrible choices; either of which requires a denial of my morality. The two women who were killed by the guards? It was purposely done as close to my cell as possible, so that I couldn't help but hear every detail, even their thoughts. I tried to help the first one, but the guards prevented me. All I could do is try not to listen.

"Aro wants to break my will and add me to his Guard; a mindless toy to serve at his whim. Ultimately, he wants my whole family bent and broken to his purpose. He knows I can see his plans, so he structures them so that there is no way I can stop them, even with my knowledge. All I can do is stand firm and resist. This is a battle of stamina and endurance; time is on his side, but I haven't come so far to just give up.

Beth was silent yet again while her mind worked furiously. Everything I had told her had only confirmed the unfortunate truth; she was going to die, and for no other purpose than as a pawn to torture another.

"How can you stand it? How can you just sit there staring at the walls so calmly?" she asked, giving voice to her outrage. "How can you sit there; polite and calm with this, this…" Words failed her as she trailed off.

"I'm barely hanging on," I responded. "Normal vampires feed once every week or two; I haven't fed in over four months. Any other vampire would've lunged at you the second you were in the door. The only reason I can resist is because I've had nearly eighty years to perfect my control and resist the call of the thirst.

"On top of that, I've started to doubt my sanity. I've been hallucinating, seeing my wife. I know she can't be there, but there she is. I can feel her, hear her. It's so real. She holds me while I cry out from the horror of it all, and tells me that I have to go on, to do whatever is necessary to survive, for her and our family. Logically, I should be afraid to see someone that I know isn't there, but I ache to see her again, to confess my sins and hear her accept them and love me regardless. It's the only thing that keeps me going."

I closed my eyes for a moment and held onto a memory of Bella's arms wrapped around my neck, and her kisses. I could almost hear her voice.

"As for the rest of it, the only thing I can control in this situation is my response to it. I offer you courtesy and civility because it's the right thing to do. You are someone's daughter, someone's fiancée. I would hope that, if my wife or daughter were ever subjected to this… situation, they would be treated with the same respect."

"Is there any hope at all?" she pleaded.

I sighed. "I used to think so. My family is the strongest vampiric coven in existence, apart from the Volturi, and we have many allies. At first, I believed I would be rescued any day, but it's been four months. All I can do now is plan for the worst. You may attempt to stay positive and hope for a miracle, but no one came to rescue all the women who have been here before you. As I said, I will not take your choice away from you; all I can do is help you make an informed decision."

She fell silent again as she mulled over what I had told her. Though my genteel behavior felt like nothing so much as a painful mockery of true civility, it had the positive effect of breaking down barriers of suspicion and establishing trust, just as it was doing now. She was still afraid, but not of me. Now, she was curious.

"Tell me about them; your wife and your daughter."

I sighed as I delved into my most treasured memories. Remembering Bella and Renesmee was simultaneously wonderful and excruciating. Thinking of them would bring me the closest I could come to joy in this place, but it would also remind me of my longing for their presence, and my fears that I would never see them again. But I couldn't resist.

I told her all about Bella and Renesmee. Their likes and dislikes, their personality, their sense of humor, our intense love for each other. Giving voice to my memories almost made them come alive in this drab, dark cell. But it couldn't last. The memories weren't enough. The light of their smiles couldn't hold the darkness back.

He loves them so much. Even without seeing his face, I can hear it in his voice. He sounds like me when I think about Daniel. Oh, my poor beautiful Daniel. What will this do to you? Who will help you through this? You'll be so alone… Oh, crap. He can hear me. You can hear me, can't you?

"Yes, but I wasn't going to say anything. I can't help hearing your thoughts, but I do my best not to take advantage of that information."

But now her thoughts had turned to her family, wondering how the people she loved the most would cope with her disappearance, never knowing that their daughter had died in a vampire's castle in Italy.

"Will you tell me about them?" I asked.

"Who?"

"Your family. The loved ones you're thinking about right now."

She hesitated. And then the walls came down.

Beth spoke for nearly an hour, telling me the story of her life. Born and raised in Miami; Mother, father, brother, sister, the average life of the American Dream; graduated from high school with honors, full ride scholarship to Florida State, where she met Daniel, the man of her dreams. Just before she had left on her trip to Europe, he had asked her to marry him, and she had gladly accepted. She shared amusing anecdotes about her family members and her life.

But the reality of her situation couldn't be staved off for long, and she slowly stopped speaking; remembering the last time she had seen her family and her husband-to-be. Realizing that it really would be the last time.

"I'm never going to see any of them again, am I?" She asked, her voice breaking.

"No."

She wept quietly; grief flooding her mind as she struggled to cope with the finality of it all, the lost chances that would never be regained, the desperate hope for more time when there was no time left to be had. I wanted to comfort her, but experience had taught me that true pain is too big for words to even describe, let alone alleviate.

"I'm sorry. If it were within my power to return you to them, I would do it. There is one thing I can offer you, though."

Her thoughts immediately returned to my offer to end her life.

"Apart from that. All vampires have perfect memories. I'll remember every word you've said as long as I live. If you would like to leave a message for your family, if I ever get out of here, I will see that the message is passed on to them."

Hope flared in her thoughts at the prospect. "What should I say?"

"Whatever you like. I'll remember it word for word and write it down for delivery to the address of your choice. Just speak it out loud, and I will never forget it."

Most of the others had chosen to leave messages to their families. Each message was poignant in its own unique way, and each touched some facet of my long dead heart, as well.

Amazing. He's like a guardian angel, and not just mine. How has he survived four months of this torture?

"Thank you," she whispered emphatically. "How can you be so wonderful and selfless in the middle of this hell?"

"I told you; it's all I have left."

She was silent again for a very long time. Her thoughts were a jumble of fear and growing resolve. She still hadn't decided anything, but I could see where this was going. A few of the others had made this offer, but only halfheartedly, and it had been easy to refuse. Now, starving and weak, watching this young woman's hardening resolve crystallize within her psyche, I steeled my self for my most difficult battle yet.

"Edward, what does the thirst feel like?" And so it began.

"It's as if someone has set your throat on fire from the inside. And the only way to truly quench that fire is to murder someone, to take their life from them."

"But would it still be murder if that person offered their life to you freely?"

"Please, don't start down that path."

"Why not? You told me that any other vampire would've already killed me by now, but your control has to have limits. What will happen if you keep starving yourself until the point that you lose control completely and kill the next human they send to you?"

She had struck right to the heart of my worst fears. "I fear that, too, but it still doesn't justify profiting from murder."

"Wouldn't you be more of a monster if you lost control and took her choice away? Edward, this pain you fear... my blood can help it, right?

"No! You can't ask this of me! I've resisted for decades. I can't give in now. I have to stand by my beliefs. What kind of monster will I be if…"

"Just hold on until I'm finished," she interrupted. "Now, the other girls; the ones before me, you could've fed off of them after deaths, but you didn't. Is it because the blood has to be taken while they're still alive?"

"No. I didn't have their permission. I didn't ask for it and I didn't want it. I will not be a monster; I will resist that fate for as long as I'm able. I will not transgress."

"So you suffer because you respected their choices"

"Yes," I said, already seeing the trap I had fallen into.

"Then won't you respect mine? It's my blood to do with as I wish, and I'm giving it to you. You've given the others mercy in their deaths, I want to give you some mercy in mine. Once… once you take my life, I want you to drink my blood. It won't be murder," and here she uttered a slightly hysterical chuckle, "and you'll need it more than I will at that point."

The selfless sincerity of her offer was plain to see.

I was silent.

Oh, it was so tempting. The scent of her blood had tortured me from the moment she had entered the room. I had never heard such an offer before, a human, willingly offering herself up as a sacrifice to help slake my thirst.

But I couldn't! I shook away my momentary weakness. Even a life freely offered was still a life taken. I couldn't accept it; even though my body craved it like nothing save the day I had first encountered Bella's scent

Yes, Edward, you can.

What? It was Bella's voice. I couldn't see her, but I heard her, as clearly as if she was standing right next to me.

She's offering herself freely, selflessly. Do you think I would do any less if I were in her place? Do you think I will hold this against you when I see you again? She's offering you a gift of gratitude, love. Accept it with grace; the same grace you've shown as you have faced all of your challenges these past months.

And there it was. I had denied myself the right to play God and commit murder all those many years ago. But was it truly murder if the victim, a woman I would save from a horrible death by ending her life swiftly and cleanly, offered her blood to me in trade, with no reservations or hesitation?

No, love. It's compassion. You have been so compassionate to these poor women. Let one of them show a little compassion for you. She's offering you a way to stay strong, so that you can return to us. You know I will forgive you any sin, but here; there is nothing to forgive.

And I had no rebuttal. Every counter argument had been trumped by Beth's selflessness or by Bella's ghostly voice in my head. I would do this. I was certain. I would end her life swiftly, and take her blood; the blood that she offered to me freely.

But not until she was ready

"Edward," Beth's voice called gently, "Are you okay?

"Beth, I am only what I am; a vampire that has denied himself for a very long time. I accept your offer. But only when you're ready."

She shivered, seeming to belatedly realize she had been bargaining with her executioner.

"So, h-how does this work?"

"It's very simple. We will agree on a phrase, something as simple as 'I'm ready'. By uttering that phrase, we agree that you will be giving me consent to take your life. It will be over almost before you know it's happening. Your mind will barely register it before you are gone. Is this acceptable?"

"Y-y-yes," she stammered, fear threatening to overwhelm her.

"Don't be frightened. I promise there will be no pain. You won't even see it coming. If you'd like to leave a message for your family, now would be a good time."

She took a long minute to compose herself before she began, asking me to deliver it to her parent's house in Florida. Her voice quavered as she spoke, and grief poured from her thoughts as she offered her final benediction.

"My Dear Family,

"By the time this message reaches you, I will be long dead. I can't imagine you would ever stop looking for me, but I can assure you that I won't be found. I want you to know that my end was quick and painless, and my only fear was that I was leaving you behind to grieve for me. I wasn't alone either, because God left a friend for me in the most unlikely of places, and he protected me right to the end.

"My beloved Daniel. I'm so afraid to think that this is the last time I get to say that. You have changed my life so much, and from the day I met you, I wanted more than anything to be your wife. I am so angry that this is the end; that we won't be married; that I will never see your eyes or your smile again; that we won't grow old together. My life will be over very soon, but my love for you will live forever. I know you will grieve, and that someday you will move on and find someone else. I give you my blessing, and my one request is that you find joy and happiness, for my sake if nothing else.

"Mom and Dad, I can't even imagine what you will go through because of this. Just know that I loved you, and I couldn't have asked for better parents. So much of who I am, I owe to you. I can't imagine the pain of losing a child, but I know you'll have Bobby and Meredith, and they'll both need you so much now. Please look out for Daniel; he would've been your son someday, and he'll need your love and support, too.

"My dear Brother and Sister, there is so much I've left unsaid between us. It's so hard to relate to siblings as friends when there's so much irritation and squabbling. I want you to know I love you, and in the end, all of the little things we hated about each other don't really matter. I will miss you all so much, and my only regret is that I didn't spend enough time with you. I know me being gone will be hard on you, but Mom and Dad will be there for you, and they'll need your help, too.

"I'm running out of things to say here. If I could fill up the rest of this message with I Love You's, I would do it, but there isn't enough time. Just make sure you don't take any moment for granted, and never pass up an opportunity to love each other, because you never know which moment is going to be your last.

"I love you all so very much…" she trailed off as words failed her again, and her mind clouded with fear and sorrow.

I remained silent as she collected herself. Why did I torture them like this? Why did I torture myself? Perhaps things would be simpler if I just killed them the moment they entered my cell. Death was inevitable, regardless. Perhaps I should just get it over with next time and end it quickly without the terrible conversations, the fear-soaked reactions and the devil's choice that would follow.

But no, that wasn't who I was. I had lived nearly a century of self-sacrifice, denying my own desires in favor of my humanity. As excruciating as it all was, I had to offer them the choice. I wasn't God.

"Are you ready?" I asked. I could tell from her sniffling that she was crying.

She responded with a loud sniff and a deep breath of air. "Are you sure it's not going to hurt?"

"I promise. Once you say the words "I'm ready," you won't even have time to take your next breath. It'll happen too fast for you to even see it coming."

"I'm so scared," she said through her tears.

"I know. I wish…" and now my words failed me. Wished that she were home, safe with her loving family? Wished that the Volturi were wiped off the face of the Earth, or ruled by leadership with conscience? Wished that there were no such thing as vampires? The world wasn't big enough for all of our unfulfilled wishes. "I wish," I said with a defeated shrug.

Her breathing was quick and shallow, and her heart was racing, but slowly steadying as she prepared herself.

She took one deep breath, held it for a moment, and then exhaled. My body was tensed for action, waiting for the words I knew she was working herself up to.

One more breath. A brief pause.

Dear God, I don't know how you feel about vampires, but please protect this one and return him to his family. Amen.

"I'm ready."

Before the words were even fully out of her mouth, I gave free reign to the bloodthirsty monster within me. As he laughed in triumph, I shoved off the wall and lunged at her throat.

Before she even finished the word 'ready', I had already snapped her neck, and my teeth sliced through the skin of her throat, questing for the delicious nectar that I had denied for so very long. Beth barely had enough time to feel surprise at the swiftness of it before her thoughts faded out.

Human blood, freely given. Words couldn't describe the ecstasy that coursed through me with each mouthful of delicious, sweet blood. Beth had overcome every objection my conscience could produce, and the disembodied voice of my wife urged me on, telling me that this was what I needed to survive. Any semblance of guilt drowned beneath the heavenly taste, the relief as the horrible burning that had tormented me for so long finally abated. She had offered me her blood, and I took all of it.

Finally, after I had drained Beth's body of its last drop, I released her and cradled her in my arms. After what she had given me, I would treat her mortal remains with respect. No doubt the guards would simply throw her body unceremoniously into the incinerator, but I would do what I could to honor her memory.

As her face fell away from me, I got my first look at her, and I froze in shock.

Pale skin, beautiful brown hair, brown eyes, and a heart shaped face. The two were distinctly different, but the resemblance to my Bella was unmistakable. I remembered the crafty and smug expression on Aro's face, as he inspected her in the feeding chamber.

I believe this one will be perfect for our guest.

He knew. The evil creature sent her to my cell specifically because he knew she would remind me of Bella. That I would have to face killing her or letting her meet a brutal end at another's hands. Behind his façade of civility, Aro's depravity truly knew no bounds.

My body convulsing with dry sobs, I laid Beth's body on the floor and closed her blank, staring eyes. My eyes were locked on her as I backed away. How could I go on with this memory etched into the crystalline passages of my mind?

My progress away from Beth's body was interrupted, unexpectedly. A familiar form pressed up against me from behind. I closed my eyes in relief. Bella was here once more.

"I'm sorry, love. I was so thirsty, and she offered her blood to me. I couldn't resist."

"I know, Edward, I know."

But it wasn't her voice.

I whirled in shock, staring at her wide-eyed. The apparition before me shared Bella's features, but it was as if a stranger was staring back at me from behind a mask. A gloating, triumphant smile marred her beautiful features, and her eyes were now the crimson red of a vampire recently glutted on human blood.

I backed away, as the walls began to close in around me. "You're… what…"

"You know exactly who I am, Edward," she said in the voice that wasn't her voice. And then I knew.

The voice.

It was my own.

My own voice, speaking with the hungry, predatory tenor of the monster.

What had I done? I knew she was a hallucination, projected by my battered psyche in a desperate attempt to find solace in this torture chamber. I had depended on her and trusted her because I had no one else. How could I have forgotten that she was just an illusion projected by my own thoughts and memories? The same thoughts and memories shared by the monster.

Decades of resisting the call, and I had finally given in; tricked and deceived by the manifestation of my own instinctual desires. I felt violently ill, and fell to the ground, retching and heaving, trying to dredge up the blood I had consumed. It was too late; my treacherous, starving body had already absorbed the fluid into its parched systems.

I was alone. My last solace, the memories of my wife, had ultimately betrayed me. I was locked in this nightmare alone, with every hand turned against me.

Bella the monster leered at me in triumph, "Of course I'll never leave you, Edward," she mocked in the ghastly, alien voice, "I am you."

And I screamed. Screamed in agony, guilt, betrayal, fear, shame, and violation. Every negative emotion I had ever experienced came pouring out of me in a torrent of wordless shrieks. I huddled against the wall, screaming over and over, not knowing if I would ever stop.

Thanks are very much in order for Gleena, who gave me permission to use this little scenario, and to content1, who challenged me to write it.